Stories

International Friendship Day is about celebrating our bonds and relationships we have with people of diverse cultures, and also to strengthen that bond by means of faith and love. This is an event that signifies the great presence of the many different people we have around us, so that we learn to appreciate them and the impacts they have made in our lives.

This event was celebrated on the 8th of April, in the multi-purpose hall. It started with the opening speech by our Principal, Mr Tan Chor Pang, and the welcoming of our guests from St. Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School, St. Mark’s Girls Senior Secondary School and the Italian students from ITIS. After the welcoming speech, the emcees from the NE Council took over to lead the event, starting with a presentation by the ladies from St. Mark’s Girls Senior Secondary School. They shared with the school about the history of India, their school, a little about their culture and way of life. They also introduced some delicate cuisines of India, including many of its unique dishes, and not to mention their well-renown range of Bollywood actors and actresses. Speaking more about their school, they proudly mentioned that St. Mark’s Girls Senior Secondary School is a highly reputed school on the global education arena. It is well-recognised by many great institutions around the world. Apart from presentations, the girls showcased an Indian dance. Although there was a significant difference in style when compared to MI’s Indian Dance girls, it was just as magnificent.

Next up, was a song recital, presented by students from St. Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School. It was something like choir singing in Tamil which depicted a story about their own country and culture. The lyrics were almost Shakespearean-like and were very meaningful. In the background, a montage of different places of India were shown, further beautifying their recital.

Last but certainly not least, a presentation from our guests from Italy! It was a presentation about their school, ITIS Cannizaro, a school which focuses mainly on science. It consists about 1800 students and about 100 teachers. Apart from introducing their school, they also talked about the amazing culture they practice back in Italy, which is somewhat similar to the culture we have here in Singapore. International Friendship Day is also a day for the Italians to commemorate their country’s unification, which is about 150 years ago, in 1861. This further increased the significance of the event for them. To wrap up their whole presentation, a singer cum guitarist sang self-composed song about friendship and what it means to them.

It was a truly poignant moment and the audience was visibly moved by his talent and sincerity. “Friends are an important part of life. Without them, life is nothing. Many years ago, when I have not met anyone yet, my life felt empty, but now I can’t live without friends.” he said at the end. It was a truly memorable event, marked by smiles, applause and most importantly lessons to be learnt. Just like the wise man, Aristotle, once said, “The antidote to 50 enemies, is one friend.” So, it truly is.